Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 102: The First Day of the Journey

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The First Day of the Journey

At seven in the morning, departure time had finally arrived. Gu Fan arrived at the village entrance early, took out a compass, took photos with his phone, and made notes to record the compass heading and angle of the village, to avoid getting lost and not finding the way back.

Ouyang Jin, also their guide, was doing the same as Gu Fan. But in addition to the compass, he used a protractor to record the angle formed between the sun’s position at seven o’clock and the village.

"Smart move!" Gu Fan thought this was a good idea, providing everyone with an extra safety measure. Although he wasn’t sure if it would be useful, it’s better than doing nothing and it made him feel more at ease.

Departure time came. Eleven people in total, each riding a camel, along with four extra camels for carrying the luggage, made a caravan of fifteen camels. Ouyang Jin led the procession onwards.

Due to it being their first time riding camels, everyone was excited, feeling as if they were seated on a moving mountain, enjoying the expansive view. Everyone couldn’t contain their joy and laughter filled the air.

Lu Yi couldn’t help but say, "These camels look like they’re walking slowly, but I wonder how fast they can run when they want to."

Jie laughed and replied, "You could find out by slapping a camel’s butt, then you’ll know how fast they can run."

"Oh, really!" Lu Yi pretended to be enlightened, then turned to Jie with a mischievous grin, "Can I slap your camel’s butt, so I can visually estimate how fast a camel can run? This method is the most accurate."

"Get lost," Jie jokingly cursed, making everyone laugh out loud, creating a very relaxed and lively atmosphere.

Not long after they left the village, they entered a desolate area. Although only sparsely populated, other groups could be seen traveling in the area just like them - some just setting off, others on their return journey.

As another group passed by them, Gu Fan overheard them discussing the sights they had seen along the way, giving high ratings to certain attractions.

This made Gu Fan consider that whether or not they found the ancient Qian Ye Kingdom this time, it would be worth it to visit these highly rated attractions, making the trip worthwhile.

The problem they had to focus on now involved the ancient map Gu Fan had found and the modern map they purchased in New Night City. Many areas did not match and several places that were marked on the ancient map were completely missing on the modern map, which was very troubling.

After undergoing thousands of years of changes, the ancient map obviously could not be used as a guide anymore. The modern map had to be relied upon, but the ancient Qian Ye Kingdom wasn’t marked on the modern map. They had to combine the ancient and modern maps into one and understand the records in Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes to do so.

Gu Fan was pouring over the ancient and modern maps and Ouyang Jin’s father’s notebook, finding this task even more challenging than advanced mathematics. He hadn’t made any headway all day and felt like his head was about to explode.

According to Ouyang Jin’s father’s notes, after their team left the village, they moved in a northwest direction. After about five days’ travel, they would see a giant rock rising skyward like a spike.

Such a rock was not marked on either the ancient or modern maps, but it could serve as a reference for their route. While pondering about this, Gu Fan thought of an important point and urged his camel to catch up to Professor Luo.

"Professor, I have a question. If our route deviates slightly, would we just miss the ancient Qian Ye Kingdom?" Gu Fan’s question made smoke come out of Professor Luo’s ears. Professor Luo sighed, "Indeed, that is possible. In fact, it’s highly likely, because we can’t pinpoint the exact location of the Qian Ye Kingdom."

Gu Fan also looked worried: "I see. If we knew the general area, we could wander around it and perhaps find the Qian Ye Kingdom."

So Gu Fan carefully examined the ancient map, looking for other landmarks near Qian Ye Kingdom. To the east of Qian Ye Kingdom was Hu Bo, to the west were two mountains, to the south was a river and a mountain, and to the north seemed to be a tribe.

If the ancient kingdom called Great Night Country was the current New Night City, then the ancient map’s Great Night Country and the modern map’s New Night City are marked at the same location. This was already confirmed, which was why they were able to set off. But other places on the map were slightly off.

According to the ancient map, Qian Ye Kingdom was to the northwest of Great Night Country. If they could find a mountain and a river, or two mountains, that would mean they were close to the Qian Ye Kingdom.

But the problem was that the modern map did not mark a river in that area. What’s even worse was that there are more than two mountains in several places, which did not match up.

So Gu Fan thought, perhaps a mountain marked on the ancient map does not necessarily represent one mountain. It could be a contiguous range of mountains.

Although Ouyang Jin had accompanied his father to many foreign lands, he knew nothing about that area. They had no choice but to rely on his father’s notes.

However, while Ouyang Jin had not been there, that did not mean others hadn’t. During his time working in a travel agency, he heard of incidents involving people wandering aimlessly in foreign lands. A group of five hunters allegedly encountered a pack of wolves not far from where Qian Ye Kingdom was supposed to be; only two of them managed to escape.

"What, there are wolves too?" Lu Yi was horrified, and the others had similar expressions.

Ouyang Jin explained, "It’s normal to have wolves and fierce beasts around, otherwise, anyone could run around in the wilderness without worrying about danger."

Gu Fan asked another question, "So, wouldn’t standard travel routes encounter wolf packs?"

Ouyang Jin answered, "They might, but general tourists usually travel in large groups. The sheer number alone is enough to intimidate wolf packs. Wolves wouldn’t dare to attack them."

After hearing this, Lu Yi sighed in relief, "We’re also traveling as a group, so we shouldn’t be afraid of wolf packs."

But Ouyang Jin shook his head, "When I talk about groups, I mean groups of thirty or more people. We only have a third of that. So, it would be smart to stay vigilant."

"Thanks for the heads up. It’s a real morale booster." Lu Yi sarcastically remarked and then pulled out a shield she had been carrying on her back. She tapped it lightly, feeling its robustness, which helped ease her mind.

As the journey might involve some dangers, Gu Fan insisted that everyone should purchase some weapons for self-defense. Jie bought a baseball bat. He would swing it around with a series of loud roars and shouts, which made people instinctively avoid him to avoid accidental injury.

Lin Xi was realistic. She bought several cans of wolf-repellent spray. When in danger, she was ready to spray anything, be it a hungry or a lustful wolf.

Su Hui initially didn’t care as she was confident in her fighting skills, but at Gu Fan’s insistence, she bought a baton.

Gu Fan got himself a utility knife and a dagger. Though not exactly a dagger, it was more like a typical kitchen knife that any household could buy, essentially used for chopping vegetables and fruits.

As for Du Jun, he didn’t bring much in the way of self-defense tools because he originally planned to hire bodyguards, but everyone was against it.

However, Ouyang Jin kindly reminded them that if someone felt a tap on their shoulder at night, they shouldn’t look back because it might be a wolf standing on its hind legs, placing its paw on their shoulder, waiting for them to turn around to strike at their throat.

This remark sent chills down everyone’s spine. They realized that animals can be deceitful. Maybe the wolves had become smarter after hunting prey for so long.

There are wilderness and desert zones in this expanse, and according to the map, the location of the ancient Qian Ye Kingdom lies within the desert zone, the only and largest desert in the region.

After traveling for a day, they were all exhausted and seeing that it was getting late, they decided to camp for the night right there, their first ever wilderness camping experience.

So, the men busied themselves erecting tents, preparing the bonfire, and food, while Lin Xi, Su Hui, and Qin Jia, were making photographic memories. Excited after every successful snapshot, their bonding grew with each passing moment.

Once the five tents were pitched, everyone watched the sun setting on the horizon. The sunset cast a breathtaking view on the sky, making everyone gaze in awe.

"Let’s have a group picture," suggested Professor Luo. Everyone got together, their backs to the setting sun, and posed in various ways. With a click, a beautiful moment was frozen in time.

As the sun set completely and the beautiful view vanished, everyone felt the truth in the adage ’Evening colors are a fair sight to see, only to herald dusk.’

As darkness fell, everyone gathered around the bonfire, enjoying their meal. The wilderness food certainly lacked variety, but it didn’t stop the fun and laughter.

All of a sudden, Lin Xi burst out, "Look at the sky!"

Everyone looked up to find themselves starstruck. The dark night sky was brilliantly lit with stars that looked like a galaxy. It was an enchanting sight that they could never get in the brightly lit city.

"It’s so beautiful," Lin Xi, Su Hui, and many others exclaimed. After witnessing a magnificent sunset and a stunning starry night, they felt their journey was worthwhile.

When a shooting star streaked across the night sky, Lin Xi, Su Hui, and Qin Jia quickly made a wish. Following their lead, Gu Fan also made a wish. All he wished for was a safe journey back home for everyone, with not a single person missing.

This was the first day of their journey, uneventful yet surprisingly delightful. Everyone was lighthearted and happy, seemingly no longer concerned about the problems they might face on the way.